ASSESSMENTS

Is Kim Jong Un Making a Visit to China?

Mar 26, 2018 | 15:13 GMT

A picture showing the The sun rising over the Sino-Korean Friendship bridge on the Yalu River, connecting the North Korean town of Sinuiju and the Chinese border city of Dandong.

The sun rises over the Sino-Korean Friendship bridge on the Yalu River, connecting the North Korean town of Sinuiju and the Chinese border city of Dandong. On March 26, a type of train used by North Korean leaders arrived in Beijing under heavy security, leading to speculation that Kim Jong Un might be making a rare visit to China.

(NICOLAS ASFOURI/AFP/Getty Images)

As the United States and South Korea try to thaw their relationships with North Korea, signs of what may be a secretive rendezvous between North Korean and Chinese officials suggest that Beijing might be trying to set up its own direct line of diplomatic engagement with Pyongyang. Japan's Nippon News Network has obtained video of a train -- the kind North Korean leaders typically use, and one similar to the train former North Korean leader Kim Jong Il rode to visit the Chinese capital in 2011 -- arriving in Beijing on the afternoon of March 26. It's still unclear whether Kim Jong Un is, in fact, visiting China. The train's arrival could simply be part of a security check by Chinese officials preparing for a visit, or it could be ferrying other high-ranking North Korean officials to the city. Either way, it indicates that China is probably preparing to engage...

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